Do Hummingbirds Have Sweet-tooths (Sweet-teeth? Sweet-Beaks?)?
A hummingbird at one of my feeders
Introduction:
I chose my question because we often see birds out in our backyard. I have never paid much attention before, but my dad always points out all the birds and their types. I have always found the hummingbirds more interesting because they are so different from other birds. My first idea for a project was to put two large sheets of glass up in the yard, and see if the birds flew into one of them less if I put decals on it. I decided there were a few issues, ethical and otherwise, with this plan, so instead I decided to find out more about hummingbird feeding preferences.
Question:
Do ruby-throated hummingbirds prefer to feed on a higher or lower sugar concentration?
Research Summary:
A hummingbird must eat more than their weight in food everyday. Even with a higher sugar concentration, a bird might eat 5.4 times his weight in food everyday. Hummingbirds eat in meals. A meal is a relatively short, but large intake of food, (energy) followed by a period without eating to use their energy. The hummingbirds eat about the same amount per meal regardless of the sugar concentration, but eat as many as twelve to thirteen times per hour if the sugar concentration is low.
Flower nectar is primarily sugar water, so the feeders we put out are relatively similar to the hummingbirds’ choice of food in the wild. Sugar concentration in nectar varies vastly by plant, so there are plants with concentrations much higher and lower than the average. The 1:4 sugar to water ratio used often in feeders was developed to increase feeding activity for birdwatchers. The hummingbirds come back more often than they would with a higher concentration of sugar. I am curious if in my experiment, the birds will eat more of the formula with a lower sugar concentration of sugar. If I put up the feeders one at a time, I’m sure they would, since they have to eat much more often of nectar with a lower sugar concentration. Because I am going to put all of the feeders out at once, I wonder if the hummingbirds will figure out that one feeder has a higher concentration of sugar and eat out of that one instead of the others.
Hypothesis:
I think the hummingbirds will prefer the mixture with a higher sugar concentration because they eat nectar from flowers, which contains lots of sugar in a very high concentration.
Variables:
Independent: Sugar Concentration Dependent: Amount of each formula consumed by hummingbirds Control: 1:4 sugar water ratio, time period, type of feeder, feeders set up simultaneously
Materials:
3 identical hummingbird feeders
granulated sugar
water
Methods:
Clean each feeder thoroughly in warm, soapy water and leave to dry.
Bring water to a boil and add sugar in a ratio of 1:4 (1 part sugar for every 4 parts water).
Stir until dissolved.
Allow to cool and put 150 mls of the formula into one of the feeders.
Pour the remaining formula into another labeled container and store in a refrigerator.
Repeat steps 2 through 5 with a 1:3 sugar-water ratio.
Repeat steps 2 through 5 with a 1:5 sugar-water ratio.
Hang the feeders next to each other so that they are all at the same height and have the same shade conditions.
Leave the feeders out for 5 days.
After 4 days record the amount remaining in each feeder. Repeat step 1 and refill each feeder with 150 mls of the designated formula from the refrigerator.
NOTE: The formula stays fresh in the fridge for about two weeks. For a longer experiment, repeat steps 1 through 9. Do not make more in advance or the formula will go bad over time.
Results:
Sugar to Water Ratio
1:3
1:4
1:5
Amount Consumed During Days 1-5 (g)
83.55
30.78
45.4
Amount Consumed During Days 6-10 (g)
54.58
54.9
78.64
This graph depicts the lack of consistency in my results. Each bar represents the amount consumed out of a feeder.
Discussion:
My results are inconclusive. Based on my results, I can assume that the hummingbirds either didn’t have a preference of the various formulas or couldn’t tell the difference in sugar concentration. The birds don't seem to have discovered any difference between the feeders other than location.
For the separate sets of data I collected, I arranged the feeders in different orders. I placed the feeders randomly, but I do know that the feeders were in different positions each time. My results allow me to infer that the birds preferred to eat from the feeder farthest from our house, regardless of the sugar content.
I wish I had been able to collect more data. I lost my first set because when I poured the formula from the feeders to the graduated cylinder, I lost enough of each formula through an alternate hole in the feeder to offset my data. For the data I do have, I decided to weigh the feeders before and after I left them out, measuring weight rather than volume.
I wonder if my results would have been different if I had put the feeders up one at a time instead of together. My null hypothesis might be that the birds have no preference or awareness of the different sugar ratios, but they are aware of location.
Introduction:
I chose my question because we often see birds out in our backyard. I have never paid much attention before, but my dad always points out all the birds and their types. I have always found the hummingbirds more interesting because they are so different from other birds. My first idea for a project was to put two large sheets of glass up in the yard, and see if the birds flew into one of them less if I put decals on it. I decided there were a few issues, ethical and otherwise, with this plan, so instead I decided to find out more about hummingbird feeding preferences.Question:
Do ruby-throated hummingbirds prefer to feed on a higher or lower sugar concentration?Research Summary:
A hummingbird must eat more than their weight in food everyday. Even with a higher sugar concentration, a bird might eat 5.4 times his weight in food everyday. Hummingbirds eat in meals. A meal is a relatively short, but large intake of food, (energy) followed by a period without eating to use their energy. The hummingbirds eat about the same amount per meal regardless of the sugar concentration, but eat as many as twelve to thirteen times per hour if the sugar concentration is low.Flower nectar is primarily sugar water, so the feeders we put out are relatively similar to the hummingbirds’ choice of food in the wild. Sugar concentration in nectar varies vastly by plant, so there are plants with concentrations much higher and lower than the average. The 1:4 sugar to water ratio used often in feeders was developed to increase feeding activity for birdwatchers. The hummingbirds come back more often than they would with a higher concentration of sugar. I am curious if in my experiment, the birds will eat more of the formula with a lower sugar concentration of sugar. If I put up the feeders one at a time, I’m sure they would, since they have to eat much more often of nectar with a lower sugar concentration. Because I am going to put all of the feeders out at once, I wonder if the hummingbirds will figure out that one feeder has a higher concentration of sugar and eat out of that one instead of the others.
Hypothesis:
I think the hummingbirds will prefer the mixture with a higher sugar concentration because they eat nectar from flowers, which contains lots of sugar in a very high concentration.Variables:
Independent: Sugar ConcentrationDependent: Amount of each formula consumed by hummingbirds
Control: 1:4 sugar water ratio, time period, type of feeder, feeders set up simultaneously
Materials:
Methods:
- Clean each feeder thoroughly in warm, soapy water and leave to dry.
- Bring water to a boil and add sugar in a ratio of 1:4 (1 part sugar for every 4 parts water).
- Stir until dissolved.
- Allow to cool and put 150 mls of the formula into one of the feeders.
- Pour the remaining formula into another labeled container and store in a refrigerator.
- Repeat steps 2 through 5 with a 1:3 sugar-water ratio.
- Repeat steps 2 through 5 with a 1:5 sugar-water ratio.
- Hang the feeders next to each other so that they are all at the same height and have the same shade conditions.
- Leave the feeders out for 5 days.
- After 4 days record the amount remaining in each feeder. Repeat step 1 and refill each feeder with 150 mls of the designated formula from the refrigerator.
NOTE: The formula stays fresh in the fridge for about two weeks. For a longer experiment, repeat steps 1 through 9. Do not make more in advance or the formula will go bad over time.Results:
Discussion:
My results are inconclusive. Based on my results, I can assume that the hummingbirds either didn’t have a preference of the various formulas or couldn’t tell the difference in sugar concentration. The birds don't seem to have discovered any difference between the feeders other than location.For the separate sets of data I collected, I arranged the feeders in different orders. I placed the feeders randomly, but I do know that the feeders were in different positions each time. My results allow me to infer that the birds preferred to eat from the feeder farthest from our house, regardless of the sugar content.
I wish I had been able to collect more data. I lost my first set because when I poured the formula from the feeders to the graduated cylinder, I lost enough of each formula through an alternate hole in the feeder to offset my data. For the data I do have, I decided to weigh the feeders before and after I left them out, measuring weight rather than volume.
I wonder if my results would have been different if I had put the feeders up one at a time instead of together. My null hypothesis might be that the birds have no preference or awareness of the different sugar ratios, but they are aware of location.
Resources:
"Frequently Asked Questions." Dr. JB's Hummingbird Products. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. <http://www.drjbs.com/page.php?p=1799>.Hainsworth, Reed, Ph.D., and Larry Wolf, Ph.D. "Hummingbird Feeding."Hummingbird Feeding. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <http://www.hummingbirds.net/hainsworth.html>.
"Hummingbird Food Recipe: Make Your Own Nectar." Birdwatching-Bliss.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/hummingbird-food-recipe.html>.
"Hummingbird Nectar Recipe." - Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/webcam/hummingbird_nectar_recipe.cfm>.